German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Friday that
prosecutors were allowed to charge German comedian Jan
Böhmermann based on a poem he broadcasted on German TV that
insulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan.

Merkel also announced in her speech that her
government would aim to replace the current law, which
criminalises insulting foreign leaders.

What Böhmermann did is illegal under German law — Erdogan
pressed charges for insulting him personally— but the inquiry
needed the approval of the German government to begin.

"There were different opinions between the coalition partners -
the conservatives and the SPD (Social Democrats)," Merkel said, according to Reuters. "The
outcome is that the German government will give the authorization
in the current case."

Merkel insisted that the decision did not amount to a
verdict on whether the comedian was guilty or not.

If found guilty, the comedian could face up to five years
in jail for insulting a foreign head of state, and one year for
defamation, according to Deutsche Welle.

The decision which was widely awaited has shocked people
everywhere and the reactions started flooding social media
straight away.

This can't be for real? "Angela Merkel agrees to prosecution of comedian over Erdoğan poem" https://t.co/ZuhqNM5ThV

Emphasising the difficult position the case had put the
government in, Merkel said the
German government would remove the section part of the law
that requires it grants permission to prosecutors in such
cases.

The government will present a draft law to remove the paragraph,
which should come into force from 2018, according to
Reuters.

The Chancellor justified the decision by pointing to the
close relationship that Germany shares with Turkey and referred
to the 3 million people with Turkish roots that live in Germany
as well as their economic ties, Reuters reports.